


Traitor

by Kirii_Bunie



Series: Linked universe [4]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Dialogue Heavy, Fire, Gen, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-01-27 15:23:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 4,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21394387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirii_Bunie/pseuds/Kirii_Bunie
Summary: Old Idea I put on the LU discord.
Series: Linked universe [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1539424
Comments: 2
Kudos: 89





	1. Chapter 1

The sun was beginning to set. The camp was set up and Wild's cooking wafted through the forest. The group of links were tired from a day of travels and were very grateful for the rest.

Sky was sewing patterns on some small patches of cloth, Warriors was lying by a tree with a nivel in hand, Time and Wind were taking a short nap before dinner. Twilight, Hyrule, Four and Legend were chatting with Wild as he stirred his pot.

"Imma go 'n walk around for a bit. Four told the others as he stood up from his seat.

" Be back before supper, okay?"

"'Kay!"

The boys kept doing their own thing as Four wandered into the woods.


	2. Chapter 2

Four passed by many trees and only looked back to see how far he had gotten. Once he had found a good place to stop where the others could still easily find him, he sat against his chosen spot. Then, he pulled out the Four Sword and began to polish it. 

The night grew darker and the moon rose higher. Insects had started to come out of hiding and Four sat there, thinking, his blade sitting next to him. 

He stood up and stretched , ready to return to the others.

As he turned around to pick up his sword, the tree's shadows began to smoke and curl. Four quickly grabbed it and took a step back, ready to fight. 

"Why, Why, Why, Hello kit~!" Dark Link teasingly cooed as he emerged from the shadows of the tree. "What a lovely surprise it is to see you here!" 

"What do you want, Dark?" 

"Ooh, me, oh my. How harsh! You hurt me little one!" He dramatically put his hand on his forehead and leaned back. 

"I said, what. Do. You. Want? Otherwise, I'll stab you with my sword!" Four growled, threateningly. 

Dark stood straight, unimpressed. "Why of course you would use your sword, silly! What are yoy gonna do? Stab me with your d-" Four shoved the sword to Dark's throat. 

"Answer the question,"

"Tch. Fine. I guess I have to tell you~," 

"I want _you_,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made dark link flamboyant


	3. Chapter 3

Four kept the sword up. The hell was this game?

"What?"

"I said it, kit. I. Want.  _ You _ !"

He leans down to Four's level and eyes him, grinning. "I want you to help me. To become my right hand man. Or, should I say, boy?"

_ This bastard thinks he can- _

_ Blue, calm down! _

_ I'll calm down when I get the chance to sucker punch those stupid red face balls of his! _

_ Blue, please. This is immature. Even for you. _

_ F°ck you, Vio! _

_ Shut up, all of you! _

" ...I'm waiting for your reply, kit,"

Right, he's here. 

"Why do you think I want any3to do with you?" 

Dark laughed loud and childishly. "I don't think! I know. There's a difference, hon. Please learn it,"

This dude was really pissing them off. Even Red. 

"Here, I'll give you until tomorrow night to decide if you want to join me,"

"What's the catch?"

"If you join me, I will treat you very specially. You will get what you want as long as you behave," 

"And if I don't?" 

Dark's eyes went blank, his mouth growing twice as wide. 

_ "You will deeply regret it," _

Four froze in fear. Darkness seemed to grow all around him. 

Then, just as quickly as it came, it stopped. Then Dark leaned into his face and booped his nose. 

"See you tomorrow, dear! Ta ta!" 

He disappeared back into the shadows.


	4. Chapter 4

He arrived at camp, shaken at what he was told. The group had already started serving their portions when he got there.

"Oh, Four! You came just in time!" Wild exclaimed as he scooped up creamy deliciousness from the pot.

Four was handed the bowl and told to sit down. He picked at the food, not feeling very hungry at the moment.

He jumped at a tap on his shoulder, nearly spilling the soup all over himself.

"Woah! careful, careful!"

Four looked over at the culprit who tapped his shoulder.

"Sorry! I noticed something wrong so I wanted to talk to you about it!" Hyrule explained, his face glowing a slight red.

Was he being that obvious?

"Nothing's wrong, Hyrule! I'm just... Thinking about something,"

"A-ah... Okay," Hyrule pressed his spoon to his mouth and took a bite of his soup. "Well, if something is bothering you, don't be afraid to tell me, okay?"

"Okay,"

Four doubted his own words.

\--------

That evening, Four was unable to sleep. He kept stressing about what that stupid Dark Link told him.

He didn't want to betray the others! They were like a second family to him! He didn't want to lose them...

But if he refused, he might end up losing them for good...

_ What if...  _ Red started. 

_ What if we did the Vio thing again? _


	5. Chapter 5

_ The Vio thing? Red are you crazy? _ Blue questioned.

_ I know it sounds insane, but listen! What if we manage to get on Dark's good side and take him out like that? _

_ That's stupid! Dark would never fall for that! _

"I might have to agree with Red here, Blue," Green whispered, solemnly. 

Well, what does Vio say?

_ ... No. _ Vio barely croaked out in Four's head. 

They all quieted at the sound of Vio's voice. 

_ I-I don't want to hurt my family again... _

_ Vio, I'm so sorry... _

Please... Don't make me hurt them, too. I already did enough to you all..

Green felt tears roll down the body's face. He wiped them off with his sleeve. 

_ Vio, I know it might be hard, but we might hurt the others more if we  _ ** _don't_ ** _ join Dark.  _ Red tried to persuade. 

_ ... _

"We need to do it, Vio, Blue. It's the only way we can protect them. Protect ourselves,"

_ ...Okay.... _

_ Fine! Whatever! _

_ Thank you, Green. _

"We should get some sleep. We have... A big day tomorrow,"

Quiet goodnights rang through his head. Green closed his eyes and struggled to find sleep. 

Eventually, they drifted off.


	6. Chapter 6

Shadow listened in on the conversation _ . What were they thinking? Are they really going to do this? _

They were asleep. That's good. But what can he do? 

He doesn't know what they'll do. Will they side with Dark or not? And what would happen if they  _ did _ decline? Would they be killed? He didn't know. He's just as scared as the rest of them. 

Tomorrow. Tomorrow they need to make a choice. Tomorrow  _ he _ needs to choose what he has to do. Will he abandon them or come with? 

He hopes that whatever they choose doesn't hurt them. He hopes that it's fixable. 


	7. Chapter 7

Dawn comes much too soon. Today is the day everything changes. Four can already feel it. 

Wild's cooking wafts through the air. Instead of making their mouth water, it nauseates them. Quiet laughter is heard from the fire. Instead of making them feel joyous and relaxed, it makes them feel sad and anxious. 

They've already chosen their answer. They already know what they're going to do. And by the Goddesses they hope that it won't have drastic consequences. 

Doubt flashes through them. They have to live with their decision. 

Shadow watches, afraid. He knows what they're going to do. He's ready to make his own choice. 


	8. Chapter 8

The group gets packed and begins to head out. Sky has noticed something strange about their smallest member.

He approaches him. And taps his shoulder.

"Hey, Four,"

Four jolts at the touch. His breath hitches and his eyes are panicked. He looks up and sees Sky watching him, concerned.

"Are you feeling alright? Do you need to sit down? I can tell the others to stop if you-"

"No, no. Don't... Don't worry about it. I had a dream last night I'm trying to remember, that's all,"

Sky doesn't believe him but doesn't push it. "Okay then... If you need to talk, I'm here. Okay?"

Four nods and falls behind the group, watching them.

He doesn't want to hurt them, but no matter what his choice is, he will.

He hopes that they'll all make it out fine in the end.


	9. Chapter 9

Finally, dusk falls upon them. The group sets up camp and settles down.

_ It's time. _

"I'm gonna go out for a bit! I'll be back soon!"

He doubted it.

\--------------

This was it. It's time to leave.

Shadow disconnects himself from Four as the teen disappears into the darkness.

He hides in the shadow of a nearby tree, unable to sustain a corporeal form on his own.

He needs to warn the others somehow...

\------------------

Four reaches a stopping point within the center of a fairy ring.

"Dark! Come out! I have an answer!" Four calls out into the darkness. 

Just like before, Dark Link appears from the shadows of a tree. His eyes glowed brighter than before, his smile twice as large.

"Hello kitten~. I hear you have something to tell me~?" Dark purred.

Four swallowed and stared him in the eye.

"I'll help you."

Four didn't think his smile could get any wider, but it did. He had a sickeningly gleeful expression on his face.

"Perfect,"


	10. Chapter 10

Dark reaches his hand out, a glowing red flame surrounds it.

"Let's shake on it then, dear. That way, you won't be able to betray me," He's still grinning.

Four hopes that he isn't making the wrong choice. He reaches out, afraid.

_ There's no way out now... _

They shake hands with the devil. A strange cold (yet somehow warm?) wave pulses through them, enveloping their body. Bloody, red fire dances all around them and burns the mushroom circle they stand inside of.

Just as quickly as it appeared, the fire dissipates and the cold/warm sensation leaves.

Dark suddenly grabs his waist and pulls him close and whispers in his ear. 

"You're mine now. You will do as I say, got it~?" 

His chilling voice sends shivers down his spine and he forces himself to nod. 

"Good~. Now, let's go,"

"Wait, can't I say goodbye first?" 

"We can't dawdle deary. We need to leave immediately. Otherwise we're dead meat," 

"I-... Okay," 

Dark Link seems to have no concept of personal space as he latches onto Four again and pulls the both of them into the shadows.


	11. Chapter 11

Shadow looked around the group, thankful for the fire that was lit. He needed to tell them somehow, but he didn't know how to get their attention.

He couldn't just walk up to them as he can't move without shadows and if he could, he'd be attacked. 

But maybe he could merge with their shadows....

He quickly thought through it (thank Hylia he got tips from Green and Blue) and looked for any little debris on the ground. 

_ Aha! _

Shadow picks up a pebble from the grass and aims toward Wild. He'd be the most likely person to hear him out. 

He aims... 

He launches... 

_ thwack! _

It lands! 

"What in bloody Ganon was that?" Wild turned around to find the person responsible. 

Thinking quickly, Shadow changed his form to look like Four's. 

"Four? What was that for?" 

"Sorry, didn't want to just randomly walk up to you. I, uh, need to talk to you Wild. I-in private," 

Wild contemplates but then shrugs and turns to Shadow. 

He pulls Wild into the trees and finds a good spot to chat. 

"What do you need? Is there something wrong?" 

Shadow places both hands on his shoulders and whispers. "I'm going to do something, okay? Don't panic, don't scream and don't call out or anything. I will explain everything,"

Before Wild could get a word out, Shadow dropped his disguise and covers Wild's mouth. 

"Please, trust me, okay? You're all in danger and I'm here to help you. I need you to bring me to the others as an escort to make sure we all end up alive and well. Ya got that?" 

Wild nods and removes Shadow's hands. "Okay. But first, who are you?"

"I'm Shadow. Four's.... Shadow. Please, we mustn't wait. We're all going to be killed if we do,"

Wild deeply inhales and sighs. "Okay. I'll bring you to the others," 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> worried shadow gives me life.


	12. Chapter 12

Wild pulls Shadow out of the trees and toward the fire.

"Wait, can I stand behind you?"

Weird...

"Why?"

"My body is still recovering from shattering my mirror. I can't hold form without at least a small shadow. Oh, and I can't be in sunlight at all,"

Ok, he's not going to kill him.

They get near the fire and Wild gives Shadow a stick.

"Stick it in the ground when we arrive so it casts a shadow. That way, you don't need to hide behind me,"

"Oh. Thanks,"

They arrive and Wild's greeted with hellos and welcome backs.

"Uhhh, Wild, where's Four?"

Wild steps to the side and Shadow stabs the ground with a stick to make sure he's able to keep form long enough.

Legend snickers. "Four, did you go Emo?"

Shadow ignores the snarky comment and introduces himself.

"My name is Shadow, Four's shadow, and we are all in grave danger,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohh wait...if the stick... then ....
> 
> fudge.
> 
> i forgot how shadows work lol ;-;


	13. Chapter 13

Four had closed his eyes upon entering the shadows. Once he opened them, he found himself in a completely different location.

The sun was shining through tree leaves. A small village sat amidst the plains around them. People milled about. Children played, wives cleaned and shopped, guards patrolled the streets. It was calm.

"What are we doing here?" He whispered to the dark.

He giggled and turned to him. "You, my friend, are going to cause havoc in this small, sweet, peaceful little town here," Dark explains. "It doesn't need to be much either, dearie! A bit of vandalism here, bit of disturbance there. Flirt with a man's wife, steal from a child. You know! Petty things, just to get you goin', "

Four was unsure. He's... Never really caused much of a ruckus before. Sure, there was the whole shadow thing, then Red being chased by a mob, but he never caused anything before. Besides.... 

"What if I get captured?" 

Dark put a finger to his chin and clicked his tongue. "Oh my, that would be a problem.... Hm,"

Will he give up?

He didn't. Instead, Dark Link's ears perked up in excitement. "I have two possible solutions! One: I pretend to be your mother or Two: I bust you out of jail,"

He turned back to Four. And pushed him into the town. "Now go! Wreck the place!" 

Four starts walking forward, constantly turning his head back to look at Dark for reassurance. All he gets are a few of thumbs ups.

He's in. 

_ What to do now…?  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> filler.
> 
> im sorry.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I had put more action but whatever. I'm trying to make longer chapters....

Four walks through the streets of the town, looking for something small to mess up. Maybe steal some bread or fruit? Break a cart, perhaps? He doesn't know. He has to make up his mind quickly, though, as he doesn't want to upset Dark. 

Stealing food would have to suffice. But what? 

He passes by a bakery, sweet pastries and breads showed off through the window of the store. Inside, a delicious, buttery scent wafted. He could feel Red begging and pleading they go inside. 

Perfect.

Four enters, a small bell jingling as he opens and closes the door. Browsing the shelves, his eyes land on a box of chocolate cream puffs. His mouth waters. This is what they want. 

Quickly checking his surroundings, he shoves a box into his bag. No one had seen yet. They can take more.

Some croissants taunt him with their flaky, browned and buttery crust. He can already feel one on his tongue, taste it. 

He grabs three without paying attention. Just as he was about to grab a fourth, a man grabs him by the hood.

The man, the baker, picks him up to face him. He opened his mouth to say something but before he could say or do anything however, Four punched him in the jaw, causing the baker to drop him. He fell and landed on his rear.

Quickly recovering, he takes a fifth croissant before running off, clutching his bag tightly.

"Stop him!" The baker yells to a group of guards, pointing at Four.

Oh shoot oh shoot oh shoot oh shoot!

He's running through the streets. Through alleyways and under carts. He even ran through a woman's apartment.

There were soldiers on every street, all out to get him. He's lucky for his short stature.

"Hey! Rainbow!"

He turned his head to the sound of the voice and found Dark standing over a sewer grate in an alley.

"Come here, quick!"

He watched for guards before making a beeline to the alley. Dark began opening the grate and sliding inside. "Come on!"

Ignoring Blue's protests, he jumped into the sewer, avoiding detection.

Dark laughs. "You were amazing!! I cannot believe you punched the baker and even bothered to grab a fifth croissant! What?" He giggles and slings an arm around Four. "You're great, kid!"

Dark straightens himself and grabs Four's hand. "We can't rest here with all those guards looking for you. There's enough darkness so I can teleport us, alright?" Four nods. "Okay, then. Hold on tight!"


	15. Chapter 15

Shadow sits behind Wild, away from the light of the fire. The rest silently sat around it, thinking. 

The other Links were confused as to why Four would side with their 

enemy. Shadow told him that they didn't have to worry about it being permanent but they don't know what he means by that. They're afraid of what he means by that.

Sky hates how quiet it is. "Four didn't really betray us, right Shadow?"

Shade poked his head out a little from his spot behind Wild to face Sky. "You could say that. Though, we need to get them fast. Otherwise....."

The silence hangs over the group again.

He remembers seeing Vio, hammer in hand and raised above his head, ready to smash the mirror. He remembers fighting each of them and in the end, them mourning him. He remembers being brought back by Vio, the stains of magic still on the boy.

They'll be fine, right? They wouldn't stay with Dark?

In all honesty, he doesn't know. Four is unpredictable with these sorts of things, especially with Vio. They could accidentally get attached.

He hopes they're smart enough not to.

Shadow stands up. He's tired of waiting.

"We need to get ready."

"It's late, Shadow. We can get ready in the morning. I'm sure we'll be fine." Time tries to reassure.

Shadow scowls in disagreement. "You don't know what he's doing! If we stand idly by, people will get hurt and killed. Towns will be destroyed, even if Four didn't truly betray us."

"Shadow, you have to trust Four!"

"You weren't there! You know nothing. You don't know how easy it is for him to stab you in the back--!"

Glass shards, teardrops. Broken mirrors and broken hearts.

"We need to get him back. We have to... We have to...." Shadow finds himself choking out those last words.

A hand is placed on his shoulder. He looks to the owner. Wild.

"We will. But Time does have a point. We can't fight if we're tired, Shadow. We need rest."

"I... Okay. Tomorrow morning, we head out."

With that, they prepared for bed and the long day ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's actually a little sad that this story isn't that popular


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried not to make this shippy! I'm sorry if it feels like it was.

The pull from the teleportation never ceases to sicken him. Upon landing in the next Hyrule, Four found himself pushing his body off of Dark Link as quickly as he could and throwing up on the ground.

Wiping his face, he turns to Dark and straightens himself up. "So, why're we here?"

They were atop a cliff, facing toward the sunset. A forest, lush and green, stands behind the two Links. The grass wasn't wet but it was soft and bright beneath them. The scenery stole Four's breath. 

"You stole some food, so now we eat said food." Dark Link says with a slight hint of snark. Four pulls on the bag holding the treats. 

"Come 'ere." 

They sit on the Cliffside, each taking a cream puff from the box. 

"So... Rainbow? Why'd ya choose that?" 

"Because, you're multicolored!" 

"I'm only wearing four colors! A rainbow has seven. You could've called me 'tie-dye' or something." 

"Eh, rainbow sounds better!" 

Silence falls over the two. 

"So... Is it just you?" 

Dark looked at Four, confused. "Just me? What do you mean?" 

Four clears his throat. "Like, is it just you messing with us and corrupting all the monsters or is there some bigger threat or something?" 

Dark looks away, curling his knees to his chest and putting his face in his arms. "I can't trust you with that information yet." 

You shouldn't trust me at all.

"Understandable."

The silence falls over them again. A slight tensity spices it.

"Tomorrow, we're going to have some fun." Dark informed him. "I'll help you more this time but I know you're going to enjoy it!"

Four could feel Green's disgust, Vio's pain and Blue's distrust. But he could also feel excitement coming from Red. He hates this so much. He hates hurting and annoying other people. He hates how much trust Dark has already given him. 

He hates how he's enjoying himself...


	17. Chapter 17

They finish the remaining cream puffs before Four lets out a long, wide-mouthed yawn. A pillow is thrown in his direction.

"Where did-?"

"Don't ask," Dark quickly cut him off. "You need rest. You're not nocturnal like I am."

He has nothing to say. Muttering a soft 'thank you', Four pulls out his bedroll and lies down in it, using the pillow from Dark for his head, squeezing his other one tightly in his arms and burying himself in blankets.

"Tomorrow's a big day. Go to sleep. Uhm.. Night..."

"G'night."

But he didn't fall asleep. Instead, he had a conference with the little people in his head.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This should've been up a long time ago. The little symbols is so that I know what needs to be done to each since I'm posting this on mobile and the format won't copy

Legend looks over his shoulder, watching the boy from the shadows carefully, ready to pounce if the kid tries anything.

He remembers four jewels and four swords. Four boys, four shadows.

*_And now...._

Wild seemed to trust the kid immediately. Same with Sky and Wind. Legend wished that he was more open and accepting of others. He also wished that they weren't so naive and foolish.

_*At least the other 4 were more cautious...._

"..ngnn...no..."

A groan steals his attention and he looks to Shadow once more. The kid was thrashing around, crying and talking in his sleep. And Legend thought about helping the kid but he didn't want to get anywhere near him.

Luckily, he didn't have to. Shadow shot up out of bed, panting and sweating with his hand on his chest. It took awhile for him to get his breathing evened out. Not once did Legend even raise a finger to help the child and the guilt refused to enter his heart.

"Bad dream?" Legend asked, finally attempting to do something about the situation.

Shadow stared up at him, fear still in his eyes but it's fire being extinguished quickly. "Y-yeah...."

"Mhm..."

Legend went back to ignoring Shadow, now that the boy was awake and calm.

"... You hate me... Don't you?"

Legend chuckled humorlessly. "Wow, how obvious was that?"

"Well I just wanted to say.... I'm.. Sorry for-"

"You have nothing to apologize for, kid."

"I-I know but then why? Why do you hate me so much?" Shadow asked, emotion lacing his voice. "I mean, I don't know why you wouldn't hate me, but..." 

Legend sighed in annoyance at Shadow's rambling. "Look, Shadow. I hate you, and that's that. Maybe later I won't hate you. But! Until then, I wish you were dead."

He ignored the way the kid flinched, not bothering to ask if he was okay or anything. Instead, he stood up and began to wake his friends up, one by one. 

He turned to Shadow one more time as he struggled to wake up the captain.

"Pack up now, dark. We've got a long day ahead of us."

The entire camp was awake now, Wild stirring a pot of curry at the campfire. 

Taking a final taste, he called everyone over and handed out bowls. However, when he offered one to Shadow, the boy refused.

"Oh, I don't eat."

Wild pouted. "You need to eat something! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"Ummm actually, I don't need to eat. And making a digestive system for food is gross."

Wind choked on his rice and stared at Shadow with a shocked and bewildered face. 

"You make a digestive system?" 

Shadow slowly nodded, confused about the... Confusion. 

"Well whatever! That's not important. You guys eat quickly so that we can get going soon. I'll go and do a bit of scouting." 

No one said anything as Shadow walked into the trees. 

He walked out far enough away from the camp before collapsing next to a tree. There, he let tears flow freely from his eyes and down his cheeks, not bothering to wipe them away or stifle his sobs. 

_**I wish you were dead…**_***

Was that how they all felt? Was that how Four felt? Is that why he never told Shadow to come out? Is that why they acted like he was still dead? Because they want him to stay that way? He wished he knew. 

He remembers the pain of crawling out of the mirror Vio had made. He remembers how parts of him went missing. Shards of memories, personality traits. But he was still Shadow. Just... Not evil. 

*_But don't they like evil? Isn't that why they abandoned you for Dark?_

No.. No that's not why and he knew it. They would never do that.... 

*_Would they?_

He wipes the tears from his face and breathes deeply- in and out, long, big and slow- before his heart and breathing finally settled. Then, he got up and started walking back to camp. 

Once he arrived, he noticed all of their food and such packed and ready to go. With that, he steadied himself once more before opening his mouth. 

"Let's go...."


End file.
